1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a speculum, and more particularly to a speculum for retracting the marginal edge portions of a body cavity or opening and providing enhanced access to the retracted area.
2. Description of Related Art
A speculum retracts the marginal edge portions of a body cavity or opening to dilate the opening and provide enhanced access to the underlying anatomic structures. An eyelid speculum retracts the upper and lower eyelids surrounding an eyeball to provide access to the eyeball for examination or performance of a surgical procedure.
One type of eyelid speculum is formed from a loop of wire and has an upper portion that engages an upper eyelid and a lower portion that engages a lower eyelid. The upper and lower portions spread apart to retract the eyelids and expose the eyeball. Because this type of speculum is formed from a loop of wire it only applies force to a small area of each upper and lower eyelid, thus increasing the potential for injury to the eyelids. This type of speculum also does not prevent the eyelashes from contacting the exposed portion of the eyeball, which is a well known cause of infection during eye surgery. The wire loop speculum retracts the midportion of the eyelids for access to the cornea and anterior chamber of the eyeball. The speculum does not retract the eyelids along the temporal or nasal side of the eye cavity. When injecting a pharmaceutical into an eyeball, it is desirable to inject the pharmaceutical into the inferotemporal region of the pars plana in order to avoid damage to the lens or retina. To insert the needle into the inferotemporal region of the pars plana, the temporal side of the lower eyelid must be retracted. A conventional wire loop eyelid speculum does not retract the temporal side of the lower eyelid for injecting a pharmaceutical into the inferotemporal region of the pars plana.